Swamy Desikan's SarvArtha Siddhi: Summary of the 1965 Doctoral Thesis of Dr.V.N.Seshadri AchArya Swamy of Oppiliappan Koil

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SrI:

 

Dear AasthikAs :

 

adiyEn seeks the anugraham of asmat AchAryan , Sri NaarAyaNa Yatheendhra MahA Desikan , the prakrutham jeeyar of Sri AhoBila Matam in starting a new series of postings on Swamy Desikan's Sri Sookti of SarvArtha Siddhi . adiyEn will start with an introduction to VaikunTha Vaasi U.Ve Dr.V.N.Seshadri AchArya Swamy ; He was the second son of U.Ve. Vangeepuram Navaneetham KrishNamAcchArya Swamy,our neighbor on Sannidhi Street ,Oppiliappan Koil .

 

Sriman V.N.SeshAdri AchArya Swamy's brother was the great scholar , U.Ve .

V.N.Srirama DesikAcchAr Swamy . Both the brothers kept up the illustrious

traditions of this noble VaishNavite family thru scholarly publications on AchArya SrI Sookthis and AzhwAr aruLiccheyalkaL.

 

U.Ve. Dr.V.N.Vedanatha Desikan Swamy is the son of Sri V.N.SeshAdri AchArya

Swamy and U.Ve. Sri.V.N. Gopala Desikan is the son of Sri Srirama DesikAcchAr Swamy . Both of them bless us today with the rich scholarship that they inherited from their Fathers and Grandfather , U.Ve. Sri V.N.KrishNamAchAr Swamy (VNK) .

 

adiyEn considers myself to be blessed to have grown in the august presence of

" Navaneetam " VNK Swamy and his sons at Oppiliappan Sannidhi . In recognition of my depth of gratitude to this family , adiyEn will summarize the 1965 Annamalai University Ph.D Thesis of Dr. V.N.Seshadri AchArya Swamy about the great SrI Sookti of Swamy Desikan entitled " SarvArtha Siddhi" ; latter is an exposition of the equally great Sri Sookti of Tattva Mukta KalApam of Swamy Desikan .

 

Tattva Mukta KalApam is a PrakaraNa grantam, an independent treatise to defend the VisishtAdhvaitic doctrines and to evaluate critically the deficencies of the rival philosophical systems. An introduction to Tatthva Mukta KalApam has been provided

in the 89th ebook of Sundara Simham series ( http://www.sundarasimham.org ) and in an earlier posting in the Bhakti archives :

 

http://www.Ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/aug99/0065.html

 

Navalpaakkam U.Ve. VasudEvAcchAr Swamy has released the first volume of coverage of the 500 slOkams of Tattva Mukta KalApam that takes us upto 225th slOkam . For lack of funds , the second volume is languishing from release . AasthikAs interested in completing the coverage of the second and conclusive volume of Tattva Mukta KalApam by SrI VaasudEvAchAr Swamy are requested to contact adiyEn and help with the completion of this Kaimkaryam .

 

Coming back to Tattva Mukta KalaApam , Swamy Desikan Himself states that this SrI Sookthi

alone will be sufficent to comprehend all Tatthvams ( yEkam tatsarva siddhyai kalayatu hrudhayE Tattva Mukta KalApam ) .

 

Tattva Mukta KalApam itself according to the SrikAryam Swamy of Ahobila Matam , U.Ve .Sri

PazhavEri SaThakOpAcchAr Swamy , is like a distant , shining star that is far away . It may not be within the reach of many to comprehend and benefit .With this in mind , the most merciful , Swami Desikan created a commentary known as " SarvArtha Siddhi " and instructed us that we can comprehend the deep meanings of Tattva Mukta KalApam and be blessed with that Jn~Anam

( sarva+artha+siddhi) . Swamy Desikan's own words in this context are :

 

" tArAkalpE sphurati sudhiyAm TattvamuktakalApE

dhurAdhrudhyA duradhigamatAm paSyatAm Sarvasiddhyai "

 

The defense of VisishtAdhvaita Darsanam ( Svarakshaa) and the refutation of the deficencies of other Matams ( pratyarthi bhangam) is accomplished further by SarvArtha Siddhi , an exposition of Tattva Mukta KalApam :

 

" SarvArthasiddhis-SatadhUshaNi cha

dhvE khEdasAstrE kathakaagra-gaNAm

AadhyEna tatra kriyatE svarakshA

pratyarthibhanga: kalahE nyAta: syAt "

 

In TattvamuktakalApa and SarvArtha siddhi ,Swamy Desikan established an armour to defend the ViishtAdhvata darsanam against any charges that may be levelled against it and used SatadhUshaNi as a tool to criticize Adhvaitam . In SarvArtha Siddhi , Swamy Desikan criticizes the illogic of the four kinds of Buddhism , Saankya Matam , NyAya-VaisEshika theories on the liberation of the Jeevan and Moksham and the tenets of Adhvaitam along the lines established by AchArya RaamAnuja ; Swamy Desikan goes on to establish the soundeness of VisishtAdhvaitam and its conceptions on Tattva , Hita and PurushArtham .

 

adiyEn concludes this first posting in this series with a tribute to the unique greatness of Swamy Desikan : " The logical subtelety , metaphysical profoundity , poetic genius ,

unrivalled skill in debating and presenting arguments, devotional earnestness and

uncommon mastery of poetics and dialectics -- a rare combination of these, that could

scarcely be found anywhere else , is Swamy Desikan ".

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

DhAsan , Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan